Running

We’ve done pretty well getting out running this trip. Hotel treadmill in Lethbridge, 9 km at Burrowing Owl, 6 km in the rain in Victoria, and then a 28 km long run to Oak Bay and back. The long run went ok, but it was a bit slow and I didn’t feel great. Afterward my left foot and right knee hurt, although not badly. Luckily they were fine on our hikes.

By the time we got to Tofino my foot and knee were better. When we headed out I was thinking an easy 10 km. I ran with Shelley for the first 2.5 km at an easy pace After Shelley split off I sped up till my heart rate was just under 120. I saw a sign for the information center so I decided to turn around there to make 12 km. (That also turned out to be the end of the multi-use trail.) The last few kilometres I ran a bit faster. I felt good and was pleasantly surprised to finish with an average pace of 5:30/km at an average heart rate of 123.

Two days later we headed out again. This time I decided not to look at my watch. I started out with Shelley again and after she split off I tried to set a pace I could just keep up for the remaining 9.5 km. It felt good to go a little faster than usual. My foot hurt for a bit but went away after a while. I hit the turnaround still feeling good. About 2/3 of the way I started to wonder if I’d gone out too fast. It got a little harder and my breathing increased. Looking at the stats afterward my heart rate also started to climb. But it wasn’t bad and I focused on maintaining a fast cadence and a light foot strike. I like to try to run as quietly as I can, hoping that minimizes the impact on my body.

I had my watch set to buzz every kilometre but I lost count and I thought I only had a kilometre to go. Somehow that made it easier. By the time I figured out my mistake I was on the home stretch. It didn’t feel like I had much kick left but I did manage my fastest kilometre if only by a few seconds. (So I guess I didn't go out too fast.)

Finally I let myself look at the numbers on my watch. I had managed my fastest times (since getting this watch) of 24:30 for 5km and 50:30 for 10km. I’d been wondering if I could manage a 5k under 25 minutes. I didn’t quite make 10km under 50 minutes but very close, especially since .5 km of it was still warmup. Of course, once upon a time I could run a lot faster than that, but that was then and this is now. Just as important was that I did it without killing myself. In fact I felt great afterward. I was also happy with my other stats - my average heart rate was 131, my cadence averaged 176, and my stride length and ground contact time were better than usual.

Speed generally isn't my focus. Most of the time I aim for a target heart rate and just try to run as efficiently as I can. I'd rather increase my distance and stay injury free than concentrate on speed. To paraphrase Michael Pollan, Run lots. Mostly slow. Occasionally fast.  (his food version is: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.) Of course, the definitions of "lots", "slow", "fast", and "occasionally" are highly variable. Regardless, once in a while it's nice to unwind a little.

I'm not sure why this random run in the middle of traveling turned out to be one of my recent best. It was an easy route - paved, flat, straight. And cool temperatures. And I'd been getting lots of sleep and low stress, plus a fair amount of hiking and running. Whatever the reason, I was happy with it.

Salmon

Salmon are interesting fish. They are anadromous - as adults they live in the ocean, but they lay their eggs in freshwater streams. The young fish hatch and grow in fresh water before returning to the ocean. As adults they (mostly) return to the same stream where they were born. They use a sense of smell/taste to find their way back. All Pacific salmon and most Atlantic salmon die after spawning. Salmon are related to trout, char, and grayling.

We stopped briefly at Goldstream Park just north of Victoria. To the locals, the salmon are nothing special, they come every year, but it was new to me. All the dead salmon were attracting lots of feasting gulls. Bald eagles, bears and other animals also come to feed, but we didn't see any. It's mostly Chum Salmon, although there are also some Coho and Chinook as well as Steelhead and Cutthroat trout. These salmon don't have far to swim upstream, but some salmon travel as far as 1400 km to reach where they spawn.

All the dead, decaying, and half eaten salmon seem a little gruesome (and smelly!) but it's a natural cycle that has many side benefits. The dead salmon are eaten by wildlife and end up bringing nutrients from the ocean to the forest.











At first I thought all the salmon were dead, but then I realized there were quite a few still alive and swimming in the river.

Raptors

Some photos from Pacific Northwest Raptors near Duncan, BC (on Vancouver Island). Most of the time captive birds are in cages and it's hard to get decent photos. But here there were quite a few either being held or tethered.

I think this is a Gyrefalcon, but I notice on the website they have a gyrefalcon/peregrine cross (they are closely related)



This is a Black Vulture, similar to a Turkey Vulture. This was shot through cage mesh, but it worked out reasonably well.



I always like to see American Kestrels. They are such beautiful little birds.



This is a Saker Falcon from Eurasia, used for falconry for thousands of years.



Harris's Hawks are one of the only hawks to hunt in groups.



We only saw Bald Eagles from a distance on this trip, so it was nice to see these ones up close. It was quite close to the walkway, and there was a dark shed behind it for a nice clean background.







A Great Horned Owl:



Although they're not raptors, there were also a pair of Kookaburras (from Australia). This one had just washed and was still a little damp. They are related to kingfishers (as you can tell from their appearance.



These photos were all taken handheld with the Olympus EM1m2 with the 12-200 (24-400 equivalent) lens. I'm still getting used to the camera, I'm quite impressed with it's performance. And I love the small size. The micro four thirds sensor (2x crop factor) means the lenses are much smaller and lighter.

See all 20 photos in this album

Vancouver Island

A few photos from a road trip to Vancouver Island. Still some fall colors here (unlike Saskatchewan).



The temperate rain forest always seems so ... overgrown ... to a prairie person.



According to iNaturalist, these are Orange Spot Jellies (a kind of fungus). They were about the size of a teaspoon and the consistency of jello.



There aren't a lot of birds around this time of year. We saw a few bald eagles in the distance but none close enough to photograph. Lots of gulls though.



I think this is a Yellowlegs, but I'm not sure if it's Lesser or Greater.



I always like to see Great Blue Herons.



When we checked in to the hotel at Cowichan Bay there was a sign warning about the noisy sea lions. Apparently this time of year they like to haul up on the docks. Obviously they don't sleep because they kept up their cacophony all night. It was nice to see them in the morning though. There were supposed to be both California and Stellar sea lions but from a distance I'm not sure I could tell them apart.







Of course, being around the water I couldn't resist a few reflection shots.



We've done a few hikes. This was the view from the top of Mt. Tzouhalem near Maple Bay.



And the view from the top of Bruce Peak on Saltspring Island. (We went to check out the paragliding launch, but it seemed a little sketchy to us - not much room, rough ground, and big trees)



Nice view of Mt. Baker though.



We stayed overnight at Moon Water Lodge on the Malahat and were treated to a wonderful sunrise.







The night view from our room at the Coast Harbourside Hotel. The night mode of the new iPhone 11 Pro does an amazing job.



See all 32 photos in this album

On the River

It seems a little incongruous to be posting these photos from kayaking on the river, while outside there's a snowstorm. But I didn't get around to posting them till now.

I was pulling my kayak down the back alley to the river (we have wheels that strap on) when a butterfly went by. I had my camera, but only the telephoto lens (thinking of birds). Luckily it focuses reasonably close and I still got some decent shots of this Painted Lady.





Butterfly photography taken care of, I continued on to the river! As soon as I got on the water I saw this Yellowlegs. But between the the bird's constant movement and the kayak being pulled away by the current, I had a hard time getting a decent shot. This was the best I did and it's still not as sharp as I'd like.



There were lots of gulls on the sandbars.



And a few ducks around.



And of course, Canada geese.





The trees were already starting to change, adding some color to the reflections.



See all 13 photos in this album

Macro Sunrise

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower 

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand 

And Eternity in an hour

- William Blake

Look close and you can see the sun rising behind the trees through the lens of the water drops. These are closeups of condensation on my home office window. They're worth looking at larger if you get a chance.

Icy Walk to Work

This was one of the first really cold mornings this fall. I get less fond of Saskatchewan winters each year, but this morning the sun was rising and there wasn't much wind, so it didn't seem too bad. Of course, my bare hands got cold taking photos.



I'm fond of this tree. I'll be sad when it finally dies. It's far enough back from the riverbank that the beavers probably won't go after it, but you never know.





I'm still getting used to the ultra-wide lens on the iPhone 11





The wide angle view obviously takes more in, compared to a more normal angle:



Notice the birds in the sky. Probably migrating Canada geese, there are lots of them still around.